DMV will clear some suspended driver’s licenses next week

If your driver’s license is suspended, you may be able to clear the remaining time off that suspension next week in South Carolina.

It’s called Amnesty Week. The Department of Motor Vehicles will allow drivers to knock down their suspensions if they committed one of these four violations.

_ Drivers under the age of 18 who have accumulated excessive points,

_ Those who operated an unlicensed taxi or vehicle,

_ Drivers who lost their license for driving an uninsured vehicle they did not own and

_ Those who were caught driving under suspension.

However, if you lost your license due to an alcohol or drug violation, you are not eligible for the amnesty program.

If your license was suspended because you did not pay traffic fines, you still have to pay off those fines. But, once you do, you can go to the DMV office and get your license back. The amnesty program also applies to those who have paid their fines, but otherwise would have to wait some extra months before getting their license returned.

DMV spokeswoman Beth Parks said, even though Amnesty Week is next week, eligible drivers need to be acting now.

You should start getting ready for it now. The earlier you take care of all the requirements for whatever your suspension is, the better off you are. Give yourself time to pay the fees, file the appropriate insurance, and take care of any of the remaining requirements. Go ahead and do that now, before next week.

Since this is the first year of the amnesty program, Parks said officials don’t know what to expect. She warned there could be long lines at participating offices. Only 17 of the state’s 68 DMV offices will participate, mostly those in the state’s larger cities.